Train coaches...

[Munkfish]

A question really, by law do they have to all be facing Forwards/backwards?

The coaches put on for home games obviously come from Southern rail, but it strikes me that if we had more coaches designed in the same way as the Underground/Overground we could pack more people on. Obviously this is not going to happen, but I was just wondering why? does anyone have any insight?

 

[Shy Talk]

Yes, they have to face forwards or backwards, Makes it easier to fit through tunnels, etc.

 

[BensGrandad]

It amazes me that they cannot put an 8 or 12 carriage train on direct from Brighton to Lewes and return with 1 stop Falmer each way and then open the doors of the carriages that are on the platform and every body get on or off via these. There must be a reason why it cant be done as it seems so obvious.

 

[BensGrandad]

Yes, they have to face forwards or backwards, Makes it easier to fit through tunnels, etc.

That is obviously a p..s take but sounds authentic

 

[Munkfish]

Yes, they have to face forwards or backwards, Makes it easier to fit through tunnels, etc.

Haha very good! I failed to mention I was talking about the seats.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

Yes, they have to face forwards or backwards, Makes it easier to fit through tunnels, etc.

#snigger#

 

[Thunder Bolt]

A question really, by law do they have to all be facing Forwards/backwards?

The coaches put on for home games obviously come from Southern rail, but it strikes me that if we had more coaches designed in the same way as the Underground/Overground we could pack more people on. Obviously this is not going to happen, but I was just wondering why? does anyone have any insight?

I haven't got any technical knowledge at all but my guess is that trains go at a faster speed than underground trains, so there would be more injuries if a higher speed train crashed with seats sideways on?

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Because tubes are likely to suffer from significant overcrowding in comparison with trains, and are for significantly shorter journeys which do not mean people have to/like to site, and Southen aren't just about to have a few trains altered just for us once every fortnight.

 

[Munkfish]

Because tubes are likely to suffer from significant overcrowding in comparison with trains, and Southen aren't just about to have a few trains altered just for us once every fortnight.

Completely agree and not thinking it would just be used for our games, however the thought come after reading the 3rd class travel thread.

 

[Frutos]

That is obviously a p..s take but sounds authentic

Have you ever considered a career as a limbo dancer?

 

[Hove Seagull]

Because tubes are likely to suffer from significant overcrowding in comparison with trains, and are for significantly shorter journeys which do not mean people have to/like to site, and Southen aren't just about to have a few trains altered just for us once every fortnight.

It's not just for football though. Trains are overcrowded every morning / evening rush hour.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

It amazes me that they cannot put an 8 or 12 carriage train on direct from Brighton to Lewes and return with 1 stop Falmer each way and then open the doors of the carriages that are on the platform and every body get on or off via these. There must be a reason why it cant be done as it seems so obvious.

The platform length.
Lewes trains if they are 8 carriages, only the front 5 carriages are on the platform with the doors open.
Likewise Lewes to Falmer, you have to be in the front 7 coaches.

 

[BensGrandad]

Which is why I said why not only open the doors of the carriages on the platform and every body embark or disembark via those rather than use standard service trains that stop at London Rd and Moulescombe although being full nobody can get on. My suggestion was a football special that only transported people from Brighton or Lewes direct to Falmer.

 

[Cosmic Joker]

If a train from Brighton needs to reverse in Lewes station, it has to use the crossover before the Mountfield Road bridge approaching the station and use platform 5, which is the only reversibly signalled platform. If a long train uses this platform and stops with its nose before the signal protecting the junction with the Eastbourne line at the other end of the platform, the rear of the train will be fouling the points at the Brighton end of the platform and the crossover behind. This means that 1) it would block everything using platforms 3 and 4 (the eastbound and westbound Brighton platforms) until it moved and 2) it would be unable to return to Brighton on the westbound line until it had pulled far enough forward to clear the points, which would mean that the front of the train would be across the junction with the Eastbourne and Seaford line, which would block all other platforms at Lewes station, whilst the driver walked down the length of an 8 or 12 car train to change ends. The length of time such a train blocked the other platforms would completely disrupt the other services, leading to a lower train frequency at Falmer, not greater.

When longer trains reverse at Lewes on Sunday engineering works diversions they have to pull right through the station on platform 3 and towards Eastbourne until they are clear of the crossover at the far end of the station, then stand for driver to change cabs and reverse into platform 2. This can only be done with the lower service frequencies on a Sunday and alterations to other services through the station as it is time-consuming. It can also be used for football specials for away fans to London after evening matches due to the lower frequency of other services through Lewes late evening, as was done once for Millwall I believe.

To overcome this by lengthening platforms 4/5 at Lewes would require either demolition of the Mountfield Road bridge and land aquisition beyond it taking out more property and re-building a longer bridge, at a cost of many millions and vast disruption to everything up Mountfield Road, secondary schools, Lewes FC, public swimming pool, offices and more. Or demolition and re-siting of Lewes signal box at the Eastbourne end of the station, also vastly expensive and disruptive and in the never-ever going to happen category.

Slightly cheaper, but also expensive enough to prevent it from happening would be to install a crossover further back down the Brighton line, facing the other way and new reversible signalling to allow a long train to pull into platform 3 and then to move in the westbound direction over the new crossover. This would also have some operational disadvantages in that 1) the train would need to be in platform 3 a long time to allow all passengers to leave through the front four and new passengers to board (no room to lengthen the platform before the above-mentioned Mountfield Road bridge and no room under it). This and the need for the long train to pull up the line and clear the new crossover, would lengthen the time before the next train from Brighton could approach and enter platform 3, again adversely affecting eastbound service frequency at Falmer 2) reversing the train in Lewes may adversely affect eastbound service frequency from Lewes for the same reason 3) westbound passengers from Lewes who are used to the train to Brighton always being on one or other side of the island platforms 4/5 would find that some trains to Brighton were now instead on 3 over the steep footbridge.

Longer than the subject deserved, but there you are

 

[Guinness Boy]

A question really, by law do they have to all be facing Forwards/backwards?

The coaches put on for home games obviously come from Southern rail, but it strikes me that if we had more coaches designed in the same way as the Underground/Overground we could pack more people on. Obviously this is not going to happen, but I was just wondering why? does anyone have any insight?

Since I now know you are talking about the seats they do not ALL have to face forwards or backwards. There are individual and group sideways seats on the old FCC rolling stock and the disabled seats on the crappy Gatwick Express stock with the dodgy doors are sideways too. However, clearly the seats on the normal rolling stock are forwards / backwards for comfort. Not that they are that comfortable....

 

[BensGrandad]

Thank you for the explanation cosmic joker, as you can tell I have no knowledge of trains and their operation but as I said there had to be a simple answer as to why it couldn't be done, and you have given it. Could they not run 2 x 4 carriage trains more frequently to serve the same purpose as 1 x 8 carriage train or is the line too busy. To a layman like me it takes a few minutes to get to Falmer from either Brighton or Lewes so in about 20 mins they could go Brighton to Lewes and back again

 

[nordicgod]

lewes signal box will be gone in next few years, everything moving to super signal box(new works) three bridges. extra signals need to be installed on the exsisting btn to lewes line so the signalling sections can be made shorter and then more trains can run(costs money though).

still cant believe that whilst building the stadium they didnt plan on putting in a 12 car turnbacksidings, this would have solved a lot of problems

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

With the re-introduction of 3rd class travel the train companies can provide carriages with no seats , easier to squeeze 300 people into the same space with a few grab rails here and there.